Stranger
by briannawrites
Summary: (a/u) Jon Good survived a fatal car crash, only to forget everything about his past. Annabelle is a heartbroken psychiatrist whose only goal is to help Jon recall what happened. What happens when feelings begin to develop? Will they be able to avoid them, or will they cave in?
1. Chapter 1

**Stranger**

* * *

It all started out with just one drink. But, then came the second. Then it was the third, fourth, fifth and so on until he couldn't remember why he was there in the first place anymore. They say time heals all wounds, but right then, Jon Good would argue otherwise.

"All you need is a couple of shots to forget the pain." He confessed to nearly every person who came up and sat down next to him.

The bar's lights were dim enough so that Jon could just barely make out the eyes of the bartenders as he ordered more drinks.

"Sir, I think you should take it easy."

"Nah, the more the better."

By that point, the only thing the bar's staff could do was advise him to call a cab rather than risk getting on the roads. Even with their attempt to give him help, he still only nodded in response before ordering another round.

He was well into the eleventh drink when he decided that it was time to head out. Dropping some wadded up bills on the counter, Jon grabbed his jacket off of the stool and limped out of the bar. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the drunk haze that he was walking in.

The outside world was bitterly cold, causing Jon's fingers to go numb as he tightened the hold on his jacket. He desperately tried to hurry to his car before the annual Christmas drinkers joined him in drunken carols.

Finally sitting in his car, he searched around for his keys before sticking them into the ignition and turning his vehicle on. The warm heat that swarmed through the car thawed out his frozen skin while tending to his hammered mind.

Without allowing himself the chance to turn back and call a cab, Jon exited the old parking lot and entered the winding roads of the outskirts of Cincinnati. It had conveniently started to snow just as he entered the darkest stretch of the road. The car's tires slapped against the road as he continued to drive through the blackness of the night.

It was Christmas Eve and he was spending it alone in the middle of nowhere.

His vision was blurry, but he wasn't slowing down. If anything, he was speeding up to get out of the predicament that he was in faster.

The curves of the roads suddenly seemed to be thinner and sharper as he sped up his car, turning through the evil wooded areas. His eyesight was getting worse, but he refused to stop. His mind continued to play back the events of the evening before he had stopped by the bar.

Jon remembered her face, her laugh. Sure, he was drunk out of his ever-loving mind, but he remembered her. He thought of the tears and the sadness, but he couldn't remember the reasons that caused such pain, so he continued to drive.

The only thing that could possibly end his joyride was the fast eighteen-wheeler that he crossed the median of the road to meet head on. He tried to gain control of the car as it collided with the large truck but it was no use. His car was flipping over the hood of the truck. It eventually flipped off and down into the grassy area next to the road.

That's when the memories stopped.

* * *

"The patient is suffering from spinal damage and head trauma. We're waiting on him to regain consciousness for us to asses the severity of the damage."

Jon could barely hear the words as they spilled from the doctor's mouth. His eyes felt as if they were open, but everything was still blurry and his head was pounding. Attempting to speak, only airy whispers seemed to come out.

Before he could even try to move his arms and break himself free, another voice entered the room.

"Is this the patient?"

"Yes, and who are you?"

Jon tried to listen on, but that's when the memories of the night before started creeping in. He could still feel the impact on his chest as he collided with the other vehicle. All of the glass and shreds of metal that ripped apart, he could still feel them gliding through his flesh.

He hadn't even realized that he was groaning as he remembered the pain.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"From our tests, the damage doesn't seem to be life-threatening. However, your psychiatric tests may tell a different story."

Jon opened his eyes, this time seeing all of the faded colors of the room. He knew that he was in a hospital, but this one didn't seem like the ones he'd been in before.

"Hi."

Looking over from his blank stare towards the ceiling, Jon saw the brunette woman standing by the door. She was beautiful, from what he could see.

"I heard you got into an accident. I'm here to help."

All he could do was shake his head, despite the pain it brought upon his neck and back. He didn't want any help, all he wanted was to leave the odd place.

"Where...am I?" His voice was dry and raspy.

"You're in the hospital. Do you remember why?"

"There was...there was a wreck."

He watched at the brunette nodded her head. "You didn't have any identification on you. Do you remember your name?"

His mind went blank. For the first time in his life, Jon couldn't remember that his name was Jon. He shook his head slightly, the brace on his neck stiffened as he moved. Once again, the lady nodded her head and walked closer to him, sitting down on a stool that was left next to his bed.

"So, this accident you were in: do you know what happened?"

"Some jackass hit me with his car."

She smiled. Jon liked her smile. It was innocent, yet mysterious.

"Actually, that jackass got hit by you. You're really lucky to be alive." She reached out and laid her hand on Jon's wrapped arm. "You barely have any damage."

"I can't move."

"I know. You're pretty wrapped up. Most of it is just cuts and bruises, so with my help you'll be out of here in no time at all."

Jon groaned as he attempted to move around again. His body felt so weak, like he'd never known how to use any of his limbs before in his life. He was sore, no doubting that, but he was also tired despite having just woken up.

"I want to leave."

"I know that you do. But, we need to figure out who you are first." She got out a pad and some paper from her large bag and flipped it open. "Can you tell me about any family members that you have? Anybody or anything that you remember can help us."

He struggled for a moment before finally releasing a breath. "I don't know."

He could hear the woman sigh. "Do you know what you were doing before the accident?"

The memories flooded in like flashbacks. He could still hear the music playing in the background as he ordered more rounds.

"I don't remember." He lied.

He couldn't tell a random stranger about his disappointing drinking habits. It would only lower his reputation and possible cause him to get into trouble with the law. He was already locked up to a hospital bed, he couldn't live in a jail cell.

"Okay, do you happen to remember where you live? Maybe a neighbor or a school that you used to go to?"

"I live in an apartment. With..." He stopped. He couldn't say it.

"With who?"

He closed his eyes. He pictured her smile again, so bright and so sweet. He loved her, but he couldn't remember her name.

"I don't remember."

She sighed again. He was an interesting character, she thought. She could tell that he was holding things back, but she wasn't entirely sure that he was just making it all up. She'd seen a lot of patients in her day that faked amnesia, but none that lied for no reason. This man had every reason to want to be home with his family, yet he wouldn't give up any information.

"My name is Annabelle." She smiled. "I'm a psychiatrist."

"And?"

"I've seen a lot of people in your condition and all that they want to do is go home to see their loved ones. Why don't you?"

He took a small breath. "I don't have any loved ones."

Annabelle shook her head. "Now, that can't be true. I bet your parents love you."

"I don't remember my parents. I don't remember my family."

"Can you try? I can help you, but in order for us to make any progress, you need to try."

Jon stared blankly back at the ceiling and prayed for one of the first times in his life that she would just go away. Then, without warning, Annabelle stood up and walked out. Not before she poked her head in for a few seconds and put on her most pleasant smile.

"Merry Christmas, Stranger."

* * *

**Not sure how this story is going to go, but I couldn't help but write it. Hopefully, it came across better than it looks to me right now. But, I am working on getting it to the point where it's really good.**

**Let me know if I should continue? Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two! Thank you for the reviews and feedback on the previous chapter, it really meant a lot. I wanted to hurry and get this chapter out of the way before Christmas rolled around because I won't have the time to update it then.**

**With that being said, Merry Christmas! Or, Happy Holidays - which ever you prefer. :)**

**This chapter will be more about Annabelle, since the last one didn't focus too much on her character. **

**Alright, please read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

Waking up alone, again. It wasn't something that Annabelle _wasn't _used to, but it never felt good around this time of year.

Annabelle couldn't shake her encounter with the man in the hospital from her mind. She knew nothing about him, yet she felt as though she'd known him for her entire life. The only thing that she really wanted at that point was to find out more about his.

She decided that if she was going to learn anything about what happened, then she needed to visit the crash site.

It was the day after Christmas, and the roads were seemingly silent as she drove through Cincinnati. Normally around this time of year she would be up in New York for the holidays with her parents and her sister...but that wasn't the case anymore. Or, at least it hadn't been the case for the last six years.

It was a perfect winter day, Annabelle decided. The snow had subsided and was now spread all across the ground around every street and hill. There usually wasn't too many sites to catch your eye in this part of Ohio, but the icy scenery made her heart melt. Irony at it's best.

Annabelle finally arrived at the scene. She had to park off to the side of the road, as the whole strip of land was taped off by the local police. Pulling her large coat closer to her body, she exited her vehicle and walked out into the cold world. It was difficult to make it past the yellow tape, but she did her best. She took small, careful steps around the grass; there wasn't a lot of room to walk without stepping on shattered glass and large pieces of metal. It was a hard place to be, and it brought back a lot of painful memories.

_It was dark outside, and she could just barely hear the sirens in the distance as they drew nearer by the second._

_"Claire!" Annabelle cried out as she crawled along the grass. She couldn't take a single step without cutting herself on broken glass, but she needed to find her sister. She continued to call out her sister's name, but there was no response._

_Finally, she found her. _

_"Claire! No, Claire!"_

_She was covered in blood. The only thing that made Annabelle recognize her was the necklace._

"Ma'am, what are you doing out here? It's the day after Christmas, shouldn't you be home with your family?"

Annabelle jumped. She didn't hear anybody come up from behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Shaking her head, Annabelle turned around to face the man who had walked up to her. "No, it's fine. I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Well, what are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

Annabelle searched for an explanation. She had nearly forgotten why she'd come out here in the first place.

"I'm a doctor. One of my patients was in this accident, and I needed to just come out here and see it for myself."

The man only nodded. "Well, be careful out here. This road is so dangerous, with it's sharp turns. Not to mention the fact that the only bar for miles is on the other side of it. Can't say I'm too surprised that this accident happened."

"A bar?"

"Yes ma'am. Right down this road and to your left. Well, I'll be on my way."

The two exchanged goodbyes before Annabelle hurried back into her car. She needed to go back to the man in the hospital.

Taking one last look at the scene, the brunette shivered. She looked down and grabbed the necklace that hung off of her chest, and thought about the night again.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

The doctor's had taken some of the bandages off, but left the majority of them on. Jon had so many cuts and bruises that he could barely tell that his skin wasn't normally black and blue. He couldn't say that he wasn't enjoying his time at the hospital, considering they had taken the neck brace off of him and were allowing him to sit up straight and eat on his own for once.

He was just about to take another sip of his warm soup when his hospital door swung open.

"Oh, it's you again."

Annabelle smiled. "So you remember me?"

"How could I forget?" His voice was still raspy and dry, but he was pushing through it. "You wouldn't leave me alone the other day."

The brunette walked in and sat down again, this time bringing the chair closer to the bed.

"You were drunk, weren't you?"

He was shocked that she asked him, and he could feel his cheeks flush. "What makes you think that?"

"Because: there's a bar down the road from where you crashed. It was Christmas Eve, and you were alone."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You felt lonely, so you went out for a drink. Trust me, I would've done the same thing."

Jon remembered having a lot of drinks, but everything after that, up until the doctors rushed him to the hospital, was a blur.

"I don't remember."

"You don't have to hide it from me anymore. If you remember your name, just say it."

He tried really hard, and Annabelle could tell by the expression on his face that he meant it.

"I really can't remember."

She nodded. "Then, I guess I'll have to call you Stranger from now on. Or, at least until you remember."

Looking at her, he could see that there was something in her eyes. She looked sad, despite the precious smile planted on her face. Something in her eyes was telling him that she was in pain over someone who had hurt her.

He took another sip of his soup before moving the tray off of his lap.

"Can we just talk another time?"

Annabelle sighed. "Why won't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about now?" He grabbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.

"You're hiding something from me. What don't you want me to know?"

"I really don't you what you're talking about..." He trailed off, forgetting her name.

"Annabelle. My name is Annabelle." She looked down. She hadn't realized that he wasn't paying attention to her yesterday, and for some reason it hurt her.

Jon nodded his aching head. Then, something rushed over him. He couldn't explain it, but he felt attached to it.

"Maria..." He cooed the name out.

"No, I said it was Annabelle." She was feeling aggravated that not only he forgot, but he wasn't listening now.

"Maria..." He called out the name again, this time with power. "Her name was Maria."

Annabelle nodded and looked at him gravely. "Who? Whose name is Maria?"

It went away. The only thing he could remember was the smile and now the name. But, nothing else was coming back to him.

"Hey, look at me." She waved at Jon to get his attention. "Who is she?"

Jon shook his head again, this time scratching the back of his neck in confusion. "I don't remember."

She was growing impatient, but she knew from experience that if she argued with the patient, it would only make matters worse. For the both of them.

"Okay, then. How about we start from the beginning? Stranger, do you remember what you did the morning of Christmas Eve?"

Closing his eyes, he imagined the apartment. He could see the ceiling fan spinning, despite the temperatures being well around freezing. The room smelt of hot chocolate, and even with the fan spinning above, the room felt warm and cozy.

He rolled out of bed to see that the bedroom door was open. He walked silently towards it and poked his head out. Suddenly, the feeling of a smile crept upon his face when the image of a woman appeared before him. She had her back to him, but the sight of her long brunette hair drove him to return to reality.

That's when his mind went blank again.

"I woke up, got out of bed." He shrugged. "That's it."

"So, you just woke up and got out bed before somehow, mysteriously, landing on the side of a secluded road."

They could both taste the sarcasm in her statement.

"I get it. You don't believe me."

"Well, it's just that you don't seem to be telling me the truth."

Jon was growing to be more than just frustrated. He was beginning to become infuriated. Although he didn't remember, he had always had a short fuse. Especially when it came to people considering him to be a liar. Jon Good was no liar.

"I've told you everything!" He was to the point of yelling, causing the nurses and doctors to come rushing to his side.

"That's enough, Annabelle. You can continue in the morning."

Annabelle watched as the doctors restrained the stranger to the bed. She felt bad for him. For all she knew, he was actually alone in this world. For all she knew, he had no home and everything she was trying to accomplish, with getting him to remember, was useless.

For all she knew, he didn't want to remember.

She watched as they sedated him. She'd never seen that happen to anyone before, and the sight disturbed her in a way that was more of an uncomfortable rush than an unsettling thought. There was a chill that ran up her back, and she could see the darkness again.

_"Claire, please just wake up." Annabelle was crying now, tears mixing with the blood stains on her pale cheeks. There were twigs and weeds sticking throughout her brunette locks, but she didn't mind._

_She looked down at the young woman and begged for mercy. There was so much dirt and blood everywhere, it looked like a war zone. It was no place for two young women during the summer. Not with the humidity surrounding them, causing them to sweat as they fought for life._

_"Please, just wake up!" She cradled her sister in her arms and tried to wipe the blood from her face. "I didn't mean for this to happen."_

Back in the hospital room now, she was escorted out of the enclosed area. It took her a few breaths to get the images out of her head, but she eventually pushed them aside long enough to leave the floor that the stranger was on.

"Merry Christmas, Claire." Annabelle whispered as she stood alone in the empty elevator. "Please forgive me."


	3. Chapter 3

"Is this guy even worth your time?"

Annabelle looked up from her feet to find that her friend, Casey, was still talking. Ever since she'd told her about the stranger in the hospital, it's all they ever seemed to talk about after that. Not that it wasn't a good conversation to have; full of details and interesting dialogue, but it was starting to become a drag. Almost like Annabelle had to fix the guy at work and then come home and explain herself to everybody else.

"I don't know if I'm getting anywhere with him." Annabelle confessed.

"Then, why even try?" The blonde asked, taking a sip from her beer.

Annabelle shrugged. "Something is telling me that it's the right thing to do."

"And, what's that?"

The brunette didn't oblige to answer. Even though it was due to the fact that she honestly didn't even know why she felt the need to help him, she decided not to give her friend the honest answer.

Shaking her head, Casey smirked. "You think he's hot, don't you?"

"Casey! He's technically my patient!" She denied. It was bad enough that she didn't tell her the truth in the first place, but now she was making up all of these great accusations at could hurt her career.

"And? You didn't have this attitude when Mark was your patient."

Annabelle nearly gasped. Mark was completely different from this stranger. For starters, Mark could remember things about his past. His problem was with women. He couldn't trust them and he couldn't keep them; making Annabelle feel more than happy to help him. That was only until she ended up falling for him, only to have her heart shattered like it was as fragile as glass.

"Mark is gone, and I'd appreciate it if we didn't talk about him." She said with a bitter look.

Casey rolled her light brown eyes. "I'm just saying; you didn't seem to care about keeping business away from pleasure in the past, so what's different now?"

"He's got a girl." Annabelle said, almost appalled by her own words.

"Ah, I see." Casey nodded. "And, what's this girl's name?" She added, tapping all of her fingers together as if she was conjuring up a plan.

Annabelle let out a relieving laugh. "Maria."

"And, how serious are they; this stranger and Maria?"

"I honestly don't know." She confessed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, I have a feeling that they were really close. And, I think that that's the reason he won't open up to me. If she hurt him in any way, than he isn't going to open up to me."

Casey licked her lips as she thought. "Have you thought about letting him get to know you better first?"

"I've never talked about my personal problems to a patient before." Annabelle replied. "It isn't professional."

"Hun, you're breaking doctor-patient confidentiality just talking to me about it. I think that letting him ask a few questions isn't going to kill anybody." With that, she finished off her beer with a smile.

Annabelle sighed.

"_Isn't going to kill anybody." Sure, maybe it won't kill him, but it's definitely going to kill me._

* * *

Jon stayed up the entire night, just thinking about that brunette from his thoughts. He never saw her face, but he knew her name. He could tell by her hair. Maybe it's unconventional, but he knew that he loved her by the way she was standing there, her back to him and her eyes off in some other direction. He knew that something had gone wrong, because he remembered driving on that winding road. Partially, he remembered the smell of the gasoline as he laid in the dark awaiting the ambulance to aid him. He remembered bits and pieces, but all he wanted was to have Maria.

He was beginning to doubt his memory of her name more and more. As thee hours ticked by, it seemed as though he would never fully understand what had happened to him, despite him trying until he crashed.

However hard he tried, somehow his thoughts kept turning themselves towards Annabelle. He couldn't stop picturing Maria's body with Annabelle's face. Figuring it was just the morphine, or perhaps the fact that he couldn't remember his lover's face, Jon relaxed.

The thought of him being in love though; that was a strange feeling. For some reason, although he knew that he had to be in love with Maria, he couldn't feel anything towards her. She was just a figure of his imagination for the meantime.

But, Jon wanted that to change.

* * *

Annabelle walked slowly into the hospital room just as the doctors finished with their daily tests on the man. Once they left the room, the brunette pulled up a chair and sat down next to the injured stranger.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, putting her bag down on the floor.

Jon rubbed the back of his neck. "Sore, but they say I'll live."

Nodding, Annabelle took a deep breath. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately."

"Really?" He sounded interested, but Annabelle knew it was sarcastic. "How so?"

"I've decided to let you ask me personal questions so that you can get to know me better. That way we can communicate better."

Thinking it over for a mere minute, Jon laughed. For the first time since the accident, he laughed.

"What's funny about that?"

"You make it sound like we're dating." He laughed again, insulting Annabelle.

"You make it sound like I'm playing around."

Jon hadn't realized that she would take offense to him finding light in the situation. "Hey, look, I'm just trying to make myself feel better about all of this. I didn't mean for it to hurt your feelings."

She could taste his lies.

"Listen, just ask me some questions. I promise to answer truthfully."

He barely took any time to come up with his first round of questions.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

Annabelle's eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?" She exclaimed, almost ready to rush out the door.

"You said to ask you personal questions."

"Not about my sex life!"

"Do you even have one?"

His words stung, and she had to restrain herself from connecting her palm to his cheek with a viscous slap. Calming herself down, she relaxed a bit.

"Eighteen."

He nodded. "That's pretty young."

"How about you?" Annabelle asked, hoping that he would remember something.

He shrugged. "I think I was a teenager."

This time, it was Annabelle's turn to feel relief. At least he remembered something besides just waking up. "That's a start. Now, what other questions do you have?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm almost twenty-seven. And, you?"

"Twenty-eight."

The way he said it, without even really thinking about it, brought joy to both of them. For Jon, it was a sign that he was remembering things about himself. And, for Annabelle it was a sign that she was making progress with her tactics.

For the next few hours, they continued with their questions and answers; some successful in bringing some memory back to Jon, others were just off track and useless. There were even a few questions in there that pulled out a humorous response, bringing both of them to tears in laughter.

"Alright," Annabelle said as she checked the time on her phone, "I think we have time for a few more questions."

Nodding, Jon thought of something else he could ask. "Are you in a relationship?"

She wasn't expecting that, considering all of the pointless questions that she had been asked earlier about her personal life. It took her by surprise, and made her feel extremely vulnerable to making a mistake in keeping her professionalism. She decided that it was too late to guard herself professionally and she took the leap.

"Nope. I was in one, but he cheated on me. With my sister no less."

"Ouch. What ever happened to them?"

She struggled in coming up with an explanation. Her voice became shaky as she described what happened.

"They didn't last very long. He ended up leaving her too, this time for some woman who I never met."

"And, what about your sister?" He asked, opening up Annabelle's old wound.

Clearing her throat, the brunette took a deep breath and tried to remain content.

"She died. A few years ago in a car accident." She confessed. She normally never talked about that, but she figured it was her only time to create a personal connection with the stranger.

"I'm sorry." It was all he managed to say, but it meant a lot.

Shaking her head, Annabelle sucked up the tears that she was almost ready to let fall. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, you asked if I was in a relationship. Now it's your turn." She smiled. "Are you seeing anyone?"

Jon thought about it, and then it started to come back.

He was back in his apartment. It was bright outside, but he didn't mind too much. The smell of coffee was stronger than ever as he walked towards the brunette who stood alone in the kitchen. He walked towards her, and called out to her. He was smiling, and he noticed that neither him nor the woman were fully-clothed, so he put the pieces together. Finally, the woman turned around. She wasn't smiling like he was, she was sad. She looked devastated, to be exact. That's when he returned to the hospital room, and he looked up at Annabelle.

"I was; with Maria. We were happy." He looked down at his hands, which were both bruised and cut.

"What happened?" She asked, pleading that he recall his past.

He finally shook his head. "She left me." It was all that he managed to say.

Annabelle nodded. "Do you know why?"

"I loved her. But, I don't now. And, I don't know why. I see her when I close my eyes, and I see her when I go to sleep. I saw her when I hit that other car." He reminisced about it all, pouring out his heart and all of the broken pieces came tumbling.

"That's good. Now, I'm going to ask you one more thing."

"No, I don't want to talk anymore."

Annabelle stood up. "Please, I need to know if you remember-"

"I can't talk anymore." He turned onto his side and laid his head deep into his pillow.

"Please, I just need to know your name." She begged.

Taking a deep breath, Jon thought as hard as he could. He had tears forming in his eyes as he thought of Maria, and how much he wanted to still love her. But, then he pictured Maria and every time he did he kept on putting Annabelle in her place. He kept seeing her deep green eyes, and her pale skin with the slightly freckled cheeks. She was beautiful to him, and he couldn't stop thinking of her.

"Please, Stranger," she uttered. She took a step closer to him and placed a cold hand onto his arm. "Do you remember what your name is?"

A tear escaped from his eye and rolled down onto the pillow. "I don't know."

It took her a second to calm down. She had begun to feel hyped about this session, due to the fact that he seemed to remember a few details of his forgotten past. But, even though she tried to wrap her brain around the concept, Annabelle couldn't seem to understand why this stranger would remember things like the smell of coffee or the feeling of the bed sheets that he woke up on, but he forgot the one thing that separates him from every other human being on this planet.

His name.


End file.
